Verizon clarifies new data plan policies

After yesterday's news of Verizon killing off unlimited data plans for grandfathered users, we were left with a lot of questions. That will happen when you don't get official word about changes, and analysts and pundits alike are forced to hypothesize. Luckily, Verizon has released some more official news about what to expect with their new shared data plans, and how this will affect current customers with unlimited data plans. Here's the full statement --

As we have stated publicly, Verizon Wireless has been evaluating its pricing structure for some time. Customers have told us that they want to share data, similar to how they share minutes today. We are working on plans to provide customers with that option and will introduce new plans later this year.

When the new options are introduced, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to our customers purchasing handsets and signing a new contract. Customers who choose to purchase phones at full retail price and are currently on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan. The same pricing and policies will apply to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones.

We will share specific details of the plans well in advance of their introduction so customers will have time to evaluate the plans and make the best decisions for their wireless service. It is our goal and commitment to continue to provide customers with the same high value service they have come to expect from Verizon Wireless.

It seems as if yesterdays speculation was on the mark, and Verizon will be pushing folks with a grandfathered unlimited data plan to the new shared data plans whenever a new contract is signed. Thankfully, there is a way out -- pay full price for your phone or tablet, and don't sign a new contract. Of course that's not a good solution for many folks, and with no subsidy a lot of the value of sticking with a carrier is lost. It's not the news many were hoping for, but at least we're all aware of the situation now. We're all interested to see more specific details about fees and data cap sizes as they are announced.

Reader comments

Verizon clarifies new data plan policies

A lot of questions are raised here and not a lot of answers seem to be had. Our family plan (2 smart phones 3 feature phones) is up here soon and we were talking about just keeping our phones (my DInc and my wife Fascinate) to save a little money from buying new phones and since we are on a grandfatherd data plan that we have at a reduced rate (called and wanted to change phones so they knocked down the data price)we were going to try and keep the price plan since we would be signing a new 2 year. It was my understanding that there was no difference between a 3g and a 4glte plan, am I wrong? And not having a contract infront of me or having talked to anyone from VZW, if you do not renew after the 2 yrs does the terms of the contract you had been under extend indefinatly?

I use 5-10 GB a month so I'm hoping to keep my unlimited plan. However, I don't have to have the latest and greatest, so I'll just upgrade to the best I can get in the price point of my choosing off eBay, CraigsList, etc.

If they completely do away with unlimited data, then I will have to consider other options such as other providers, or *gasp*, maybe dumping a smartphone and going back to a feature phone. For my purposes, a smartphone is only truly useful when I'm out and about using data on a whim. If I have to think "I can't watch that interesting video because I'm too close to my limit", I won't be happy paying a monthly fee for that.

It seems the new tiers are in effect already if you try and update online.,You'll have to upgrade over the phone or instore and have the agent manually set up your grandfathered data plan with your new device.

I guess I get to use my Amazon Prime membership for something other than unlimited streaming and 2 day shipping. Looking at unlocked Galaxy Nexus phones for the price of subsidized and cheaper with my prime discount. I'm keeping my unlimited 4G LTE. I still have a year left on my Bionic so when upgrade time comes I won't be going into verizon to get my new phone LOL.

I wonder what will happen if you get an insurance replacement. Say a year and half from now my Nexus gets eaten by a mongoose. If The Nexus is out of stock and they send a newer model [Like what happened with The Droid X & X2] will I still be able to keep unlimited? It also could be a way to work around the killing of Unlimited.

Here's a thought. I've always been the guy who's at the store the day I'm eligible for an upgrade and gotten whatever is the latest and greatest. Now, I have the GNex. Not the greatest screen, but it shows me what I need to see. The dual-core processor does everything I've ever asked of it without even a hint of lag. It pulls in gobs of data at LTE speeds and serves as the only internet connection at my home in the boonies, so I REALLY need to keep my unlimited plan (I sometimes use over 60GB / month).

So, my question is...do I ever really NEED another phone? I can't imagine what that killer app would be that would require better hardware. By the time it comes along, I'll have a tablet (waiting for the new Transformer Prime), which I can connect to my phone's LTE data stream via wi-fi hot spot. When my GNex finally gives up the ghost, I'll grab something else on eBay for next to nothing.

I was thinking the same thing today. I have a Thunderbolt and it's done everything I've ever asked of it. With the new update, it's running better than ever. With that being the case, I'll just stick with it as long as I can and soak up all this unlimited data.

I'm not happy w/ cutting off my data, but it turns out I use a lot less that I think I do. It says .5 gigs. Still, I like to know what I can use it if I need it. And it's not like MY usage is bleeding Verizon dry, either. I guess my options are:

1. upgrade now (which I don't want to, no phones I am interested in)
2. don't upgrade, ever. Keep my Droid Incredible and keep using the insurance whenever something goes wrong...
3. upgrade later and get the new pricing plan.

for me, buying a phone outright is not happening. I know i'm getting a subsidized price, but $300 is a lot for a phone. for something i questionably don't "need."

If you have an lte phone and would like to use as advertised...like watching movies on your razr in a tent for instance...anything less than say 10gb is useless when it comes to media consumption. Tmobile isnt bad where i live and i rarely travel, so i will definitely be giving them a look. Better phones too and gsm is a big plus.

I'm currently a grandfathered unlimited data user. I consider myself a pretty heavy user, but maybe I'm not. My wife and I don't use 2GB between us. But we're also mostly wi-fi users. At first thought, I'd be happy to get on a shared plan. Of course that depends on what the plans and pricing actually are.

I just - JUST - made the switch over to Android and I have an unlimited plan. I guess I'm insulated for 2 years, but would be stuck having to buy an extra data plan if I wanted mobile hotspot or sharing between devices.

That said, I don't really trust Verizon to have tiers that make sense. I barely use any data. I've barely used 2GB in the last 6 months. But I bet Verizon would try to milk me and people like me for $30/mo for 2GB/month. I sincerely hope that in two years' time, there will be more competition that pushes these exorbitant costs down. I won't hold my breath for that, though.

I think it's time to upgrade early to a 4G LTE phone and take advantage of the double data. While i like my unlimited plan I only use 1-1.5 GB a month and I'd rather lock in 4 GB than have to worry about what the rates might be next time I upgrade. Once I'm on a tiered plan I'm not really worried about losing the rate on that plan. While I suspected VZW would do this I didn't think they would do it so soon. While I would love to consider something like T-Mo or Sprint it is just not an option in my home area or when I travel. All of you not paying attention to data usage are just going to have to pay attention and use WiFi or not stream unlimited Netflix/Pandora/Spotify, etc. It sucks but remember ATT did it first (how you like to have your "unlimted" ATT plan that gets throttled down to 200KB at some undefined point based on network capacity in your area).

There are 2 reasons I stay with Verizon.. 1st is the unlimited plan. 2nd is its by far the best service out of all the carriers in the Boston area. That bring said..... take one of those 2 away _but &I might try another carrier especially since all the other carriers have better phones..

Ok, correct me if I am wrong here. I read where they stated that customers have been telling them they want to share data like they share minutes. Are these people on family plans where they might have multiple phones? If so, offer the shared data option with those on family plans and leave unlimited available for those on individual plans. Am I making this out to be too simple or what?

I'm on a family plan where we share minutes as a means to reduce the cost of our overall bill. Unlimited data on the other hand is to our advantage as our individual data usage tends to be high. I'm still trying to determine which Verizon customers prefer sharing and therefore being capped on their data usage over unlimited data usage as suggested in the statement. Moreover, if your on an individual plan who are you to share data with? Rather than pin this on the consumer just own it Verizon.

What is nowhere in any statement is whether someone with a 3g phone with an unlimited plan will be able to upgrade to a 4g phone and maintain their unlimited plan with LTE data. Example: If you have a DInc (3g) with unlimited data and upgrade after the "changes", it doesn't look like you'll be able to move to LTE and keep your unlimitedness. Same for IPhone users when the LTE IPhone comes out.

If not for the people who root their phones and use wifi tether for their home internet and taking 50+ gigs/mo there might still be unlimited data. Whatever I use WiFi 95% of the time I use data so oh well.

You are going to be cutting it close, what I would do, and this is just me. I would buy an iPhone 4S and then sell it new on eBay immediately (brand new). might get about 650 for it. Then hold on to that cash ($350) until the Galaxy S3 drops, and use the cash towards that phone full retail ($650). You will still end up paying about the same, $300.00 which is what the Galaxy S 3 will probably cost when it drops.

I'm just a little confused... Everyone keeps saying the contract plans are priced for subsidies. Looking at their site (and asking support) it doesn't matter whether you buy the phone at contract price through them or provide it yourself, you still pay the same prices per month.

Well I'm not saying that. You get a subsidized phone and they put you on a 2 year contract to stay a paying customer of Verizon. This is why you can change around your plan anytime you want without extending your contract.

It has nothing to do with the plans. It's all about keeping you as a paying customer. They give you something...and you promise not to leave for 2 years, basically.

You only have to pay 799 at 3rd party retailers. Verizon price was never that high. It's like that most of the time for most 3rd parties. Go check out the new customer or upgrade price and see how much cheaper that is. But then compare the full retail price.

But right around Christmas that Galaxy Nexus was $399 full retail. Nobody had it that cheap. You just have to catch Amazon at the right time & bingo.

As for insurance, you don't have to buy that through the carrier. If you sign up for it through the carrier, you can then add a new phone to it after you buy it by just calling them directly. They can add it to your bill or you pay directly. I've done that many times.

Usually 3rd party retailers like amazon and best buy mark the phones up by at least $100 bucks more for full retail. Amazon is only good for when they have deals going on for new customers and upgrades. Same thing with best buy.

"Customers have told us they wish to share data...... " I could be missing something, but I find it to my advantage to have unlimited data on the three lines on my account vs three of us sharing x gb and be concerned with overages and the subsequent penalties. Verizon seems to suggest I'm in the minority with this thinking. I have my doubts people are so willing to agree to shared data unless it is accompanied with a reduction in their overall monthly bill which I don't see big red doing.

What You Said
299.99 for Latest and Greatest Phone
+350.00 Early Termination Fee
=~$650.00 = Full retail price for latest and greatest Android phone

What some people think is cheaper in a year
299.99 For Subsidized Phone
+ 20.00 a month for 2GB of extra data
= 539.00 over the course of a year
= 779.00 over the course of 2 years

What some people think is just crazy to do
650 for new full retail phone
-300 profit off of selling 1 year old phone on ebay
=350 for new phone with unlimited data.

We need to start thinking like companies, looking at our cell phone cost over the course of a year, not what it cost now. That's how we get screwed by the carriers. They take advantage of the fact we only pay attention to what it is costing us now, not over the course of that contract

Cool with me, I was already planning to purchase my next phone at full retail as I prefer to stay off contract. Although I really have no plans to replace my Thunderbolt any time soon (waiting for its true successor).

Ahhh but as mentioned earlier, Amazon is now in the prime spot to take in some cash. Think of it this way. Keep your current plan w/ unlimited data. Buy your new phone from Amazon full price. They are much cheaper than Verizon. Or if Google offers CDMA/LTE phones even better.
This could be a nice perk to not have to bother with the Verizon store.

But it does raise the question... If your subsidized phone is paid off through a 2 yr contract, naturally once it's paid off the monthly bill should go down a little correct?

No your 2 year contract is designed to pay for the subsidized phone. So they get you paying for services for at least 2 years and they give you a cheaper device. Thats the trade. Once that is done you are not tied to Verizon and Verizon has theoretically recovered the cost of the subsidized phone. Since you are month to month, they cannot count on you paying for services for the next 3 months since you can leave at anytime without penalty.

Looks like it's off to ebay I go until for the time being, As mad as I am, I can't give up LTE (I'm a tech addict) and since I use 5-10GB a month it'll be less expensive to simply forgo my upgrade. It's not like I'm going to get unlimited LTE from anyone else, if Sprint LTE gets to the suburbs by me I'll consider it if they still offer unlimited data, but I won't use Sprint's slow ass 3G network.

I already buy "new to me" used phones on ebay every other year to keep myself up to date, and it's not always that expensive, I got a mint condition rezound last month for $275.
Better than just getting kicked on to tiered data at the end of the year when my contract is up.

The option of purchasing a phone at full retail pricing may also not be a good idea, keep in mind Big Red can expire unlimited data for customers not on a contract with no consequences (A customer can still cancel if unhappy, however VZW would not have the expense of waiving ETFs or losing revenue on device subsidies), however the customer the customer could end up paying hundreds of dollars for a phone at full price and be out on that investment upon cancelling.

I would definitely not decide to pay full price on phones just to keep a feature which Big Red is pulling no punches to eliminate.

That's true but many us are buying retail buy selling off older devices we are replacing. Even if I only get 200 for a device I can use that towards a newer device and it would really only cost me 150.00 more to the usual 299 subsidized price.

If Verizon pulls the unlimited, it gives you some negotiating points to get them to add on extra data for a cheaper price. When you are month to month it takes Carriers a while before they force you into something else, because they are scared you will leave.

Dude yoU gotta stop spreading this misinformation. Yes it only costs you 150 more right now out of pocket but you most likely lost 300-400 on the first device. So at the end of the day, yes you paid 150 out of pocket but the entire picture shows 450-550 in the hole. Having said that, that's not bad for many but it's not as good as it sounds when you look at the entire picture.

(600) - first device at full retail
200 - sell it on eBay
(400) - the amount in the hole
(650) - new device at retail
(1050) - you're in the hole this amount with one device now.

This is some BS with LTE it's impossible to stay under 5gbs without wifi inside your house or work.. Its too expensive as is to be on VZW! But I wouldn't leave their great cell phone service for any other company.. So I guess I have no choice but to pull my pants down and take it Nice and hard without vasoline

Sprints slower, but at least its still unlimited :-D I would never in my life pay full price for a phone. Especially since 3 months after you buy it, its not the best anymore. $600 for a phone? I much rather invest that in my daughters future. Also, if you know how to work people over on Craigslist, you can do what I did. Traded a blackberry 8530 for an HTC evo 4g. :-D

The Europeans are already moving to this model, and I see US carriers following suit. Give it a couple of years and you will be paying full price for your phone but in installments over 2 years. No more contracts, just "Cell Phone Notes." So if you wanted to leave you would have to pay the balance on your phone.

So yeah get a phone for $300 down, but you will have to pay 30 a month to pay off the phone over 2 years.

I hear that, I think what it will do if we move to that model will force people to not buy phones that often, which might force the manufacturers to reduce the retail pricing of their new phones. So it might be a good thing.

That doesn't sound feasible at all. Follow me here, $300 down + ($30 x 24 months) ends up being $1,020 for the phone. That's around $300 higher than the most expensive phone offered by Verizon. If you dropped the $300 down, that'd still end up being $720, which is high but closer to what Verizon's getting for their high end phones.

Your logic is great and helps people not panic on the OMG full price Thing. It could be carried further. For example, I could sell my bionic on ebay $175. Buy Galaxy Nexus $325 for total $150. That is less than subsidized and I don't have to renew a contract.

Thats very true...I like getting something new every year so this was going to be my plan anyway. There has never really been any benefit of signing a new contract for a subsidized phone if you bought the last flagship phone and it's in decent condition.

My boy has had iPhone for years off contract gets a new one every year because he just sells the old ones. Android phones don't pull as much dollars as iPhones, but if I could put an outdated Thunderbolt on ebay in March for 200.00, and it gets sold in under 5 minutes....it's not bad at all.

Yeah but you also have to consider what you originally paid for the bionic. If you paid the sa,e amount you got for it then you are good. But if you get a lot less you stand to lose money. For most this isn't a big deal especially if done only on ex but for those who buy new devices every 5-6 months they lose a lot. Trust me, I know. I was thinking I was coming out even when doing this until I actually put it down on paper and saw that I was losing hundreds of dollars each time. It seems like youre not when you sell your phone for 400 and you just add an additional 200 to get the new device. But I always forgot that I originally paid 600 for the first device so I'm really paying 400 out of pocket and not 200.

Now the question for me becomes...if I go to a double-data plan before June 3rd, will I get to keep that? I say no. I have unlimited now, but I will not pay full price for a new locked phone. Time to switch to one of the new nexus phones? It would be nice to have legit tethering, though, which I would imagine they might do on a shared plan? Hard to say if they'd still tack on an extra few bucks for that. I've noticed recently that my data usage stays under 1Gb most of the time because I'm on wi-fi at home. My first month, I wasn't and used over 3, but my battery life was crap. Hmm....

Paying full price to stay off contract does not mean paying full price. There is ebay. Used like new fully working not a scratch on them galaxy nexus cost $300 on ebay. The bionic $150 and The razr $250.

Yeah thats good for those that don't mind having a devices that a little outdated. You're not going to find the latest and greatest device for too much lower than retail. And remember, nowadays 3 months is outdated for an android device.

1. Buy new Nexus phone full retail for about $650.00
2. Sell Nexus with Accessories on ebay and get about 300.00 for it
3. You end up paying about 350.00 for a phone which on upgrade would have cost you about 299.00

However, you still have that unlimited data and for me who uses 10GB a month, well just do the math.

You're not taking into account the cost of accessories, which would cause you to lose even more money, or the fact that selling your phone will pretty much cover the cost of a subsidized phone with a renewed contract. Every year I'd sell my iPhone within a week before the new one was announced and it basically covered the cost of a partially discounted iPhone with a little left over. I was able to have the newest iPhone every year without paying any extra money.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear this. It's going to suck not getting discounted phones any more but I use enough data to justify it. Glad I can keep unlimited data.

Retail phone - (650)
Sell it - 300
That currently leaves you 350 in the hole

So now you start - (350)
Buying another phone retail -(650)

You just paid $1000 in total for 2 phones.

See it doesn't seem like you're losing money when you think you just sold your current device for a nice chunk of change. But when you consider the entire picture you're losing money. The only way to not lose a lot is to be able to get as close to what you paid for it. And people who do this often run the risk of losing a lot of money quickly. Just like a car it's cheaper to just keep it until its paid off instead of trading one car loan for another.

300.00 - Subsidized Phone
480.00 - Data charges over 2 years. Thats 20 extra per month/just to get about 5GB of data (I use 10 a month, but just saying) You can't get anything else unless you sell it and purchase something retail so you are stuck.

Thats 780.00 over 2 years for that phone

Now the other option - Keep my unlimited plan
650.00 - Retail Phone
0.00 - of extra data charges
-300.00 - Sell it on ebay after a Year
650.00 - Buy another phone.

Now you just paid 780.00 for 1, yes 1 phone over 2 years. While I paid $650 for one phone if I keep it over 2 years and 1000 for 2 phones over 2 years...thats about 500/phone. Plus I still have a better data plan. And i always got the latest and greatest.

Don't drink to Koolaide dude, this guys at Verizon know what they are doing.

Yes what you suggest works IF a person is going to keep the phone a while. But it doesn't work if you try to change phones often. You have to consider the original cost of the phone. And in your example you didn't include data charges. The same data charges I incur you would too. I'm talking about purely buying new phones off contract and selling them and our data cost is the same. So add the data costs to your model because that doesn't disappear because you paid full retail. And youre incorrect, you paid 1000 after 1 year. You paid 650 at first and sold it for 300 after a year. You just lost 350 there. The buy another phone for 650. That's 1000 bucks dude for 2 phones in a year. Please think.

"I'll give up unlimited data as long as the allotment is sensible and they aren't just asinine with the price increase."

I remember thinking the same thing when the "tiered data plan" rumor was circling. Guess what? The tiers weren't sensible and the pricing was asinine. Don't get your hopes up too high that this will be any different.

Yeah, I agree. Their 150MB teir for $15 was total crap. I could use that in a few hours. But I will wait until the plans are actually released. I use well over a gig a month average, and on vacation when I tether the ipad (I'm rooted) I can go over 2, but this is rare. My wife on the other hand, barely used 300-400 MB a month. She is pretty much email only. So if they gave a 6 GB cap, it could totally work for us, as my other 2 lines are just feature phones.....but again, until I know more and see the prices, I'm willing to keep my phone and unlimited plan. Glad I JUST upgraded now.

Actually, I do. I have 3 smartphones with unlimited data on each and that's 90 bucks and we rarely top 3gb between the 3 of us. For us it would be advantageous given they provide like a 5gb plan for 50 bucks or something like that. Having said that I don't agree with phasing unlimited plans out altogether.

1. I get a 22% discount on all my plan items 29.99 and up, however not on my secondary lines. So my first 29.99 unlimited is 22% off but not the other. So under 1 shared plan, even if it's $50, it'd be 22% off 50, so effectively putting my discount on "both" lines now.
2. My second line uses about 500mb max of data...I've maxed it at around 5gb, but usually 2-3gb.

So I'd definitely give up my unlimited for the right price if I could share data and have a lower bill.

NOW, they need to fix their stupid text message plans. We pay more per text per byte than frickin NASA to send data to the ISS.

I can also see parents who get their kids a phone but dont want to pay a separate data package. and before you say, dont buy the kid a smartphone, wouldn't you give your kid your old droidx? It makes sense to want shared data, but we know verizon doesn't have to discontinue the grandfathered unlimited if they didn't want to.

I guess I'd be willing to pay full price and not renew. I'm chomping at the bit for a Nexus anyway, but was waiting for my renewal date in early July. I'll admit I'm just now hearing about this, so I'm wondering, when is this supposed to start? I'd LOVE it if it didn't start until the end of the year, or something. I wouldn't mind getting the Nexus at teh subsidized rate and renewing contract ONE more time!

I won't leave VZW though. I've been on all the others and there is no beating them. I refuse to go to AT&T, and i've done the Sprint and T-Mobile thing. VZW all the way for me.

It's mostly speculation at this point but most people think this change will take place some time this summer in advance of the introduction of the Verizon LTE Iphone. As long as they announce the changes well before it actually happens (which this press release says they will do), I can execute my plan: get on another 2-year contract right before the change takes effect, getting a subsidized price on whatever the best phone available at that time is (I'm guessing Droid Razr HD, aka Motorola Fighter).

Well this is good news to me. I'd be happy to pay full price for a device I want and keep unlimited data as a bonus. Heck I pay full price half the time anyway rather than wait for my contract to expire to get the latest and greatest. Still might switch carriers again though if Verizon doesn't get some killer devices soon.

Maybe. Will have to wait and see what kind of developer support a Verizon version gets vs. ATT version/international version. However, I might settle for less support in return for that unlimited LTE. I have a Thunderbolt right now and I have to say LTE will have to be less buggy on the GS3 for me to stick around. But more to your point, yes, I am interested in the GS3. Would be my first non-HTC Android device(not getting a phone without removable battery)

Wouldn't you still be locked into buying at full price only from Verizon?
Not a Verizon customer, so I really don't know, but I thought bringing your own phone to Verizon (or and CDMA carrier) was not possible.

If you had a plan from Verizon all along, you are STILL paying the subsidy on your old phone (even if its 5 years old). If you pay full price for a new phone, the least they could do would be to drop your plan price to the price minus the subsidy.

Actually, no, you will not have to purchase the phone from Verizon, I purchased my Galaxy Nexus from a company online for $567 shipped. I needed a new SIM card since the Thunderbolt did not use the new micro sim cards. I just went to the VZW Store got a new sim card and I was done.

With the new 4G phones you don't have to call them to switch anymore either. All your data is stored on the SIM Card, so once you swap the SIM to the new phone you are golden.

It doesn't matter will you get the phone from. As long as you don't renew your contract them you won't have to switch plans. So you can buy a phone from Verizon at full retail or anywhere else and activate it. They way they are going to get people is when they upgrade be aise that's when you sign another contract.

Hey there HeCareth,
I am in the same boat as you were (I think) - have a Thunderbolt and want to upgrade but keep my unlimited data. After you got your new phone, what did you tell them at the Verizon store to get a new SIM card? Does switching the SIM card also switch your data and phone plan to the new phone? Did you have to activate the new phone?

I have a friend who works for a power company in Ga. he was on unlimited and added his wife to the plan and as she used her laptop verizon slapped them with a hefty bill. so they stopped that plan restarted the plan and they are now on a tiered setup.. paying 80 bucks a month for the wifes phone usage and she has to stay under 3 gb a month.. what makes this harder to swallow is they use Verizon for their home server for the laptop.. if not for his big discount due to business wanting its employees to have a ph.. they be burried alive...
Verizon is so greedy their employees have to call the main Verizon center to get yer new phone setup or activated... they are liars and everyone should let everyone that they can that Verizon lies and more so than all the others..
i think i may check into a satelite ph ..but as long as the devs turn out tweaks new roms etc.. screw verizon i;ll stay unlimited and keep the same phone untill its rust outta its plastic cage... ehehehehhee
i'll bet that if everyone just stopped using all these would be servers and buy no phones.. after about 6 month verizon, T-mobile sprint etc will drop about everything they can just to re-gain their losses..

If you are upgrading from a 3G phone to an LTE phone, I am not so sure that paying full retail for the phone will matter. You still have to switch the phone from a 3G plan to a 4G plan, and they will get you then. Maybe this will work for people already on LTE, but anyone still on 3G may be screwed.